


Switch

by PTchan



Series: Ghoul!Hide Week 2016 [6]
Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: And Kaneki needs a burger, Angst, Bodyswap, Bodyswitch, Fluff, Gen, Hide is a sweetheart, Maybe - Freeform, Shironeki - Freeform, Tear Jerker, as always, heart to heart, hidekane
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-09
Updated: 2016-01-09
Packaged: 2018-05-12 19:28:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,050
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5677870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PTchan/pseuds/PTchan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hide knew something was very <em>very</em> wrong when he woke up that morning. But that doesn't mean it's a bad thing.</p><p>  <em>Or, that bodyswitch AU nobody asked for</em></p><p> <br/><strong>Day 7 - </strong><br/><strike>Death</strike><br/><strong>/Free day.</strong></p>
            </blockquote>





	Switch

**Author's Note:**

> YAY!! OK And thus my Ghoul!Hide week venture is DONE!! XDD
> 
> (And since it's Free Day this mans anything goes right? So even Shiro!Hide is still, basically, a Ghoul!Hide right...? ^^;,,)
> 
> Anyways I hope you enjoy!! XDD I actually like how this one turned out ;w;

When Hide woke up that morning, he knew something was terribly, terribly wrong.

For one thing, he was hungry. As in hungrier than he’s ever felt in his whole _life_ that he could literally feel his stomach trying to eat itself. And he was pretty sure he ate last night even if he hadn’t had lunch or breakfast.

For another, there was a purple-haired pervert breathing inches from his face.

And then of course, there was the sudden feeling of something bursting from his lower back as some sort of defense mechanism.

Yep, Hide thought. Very wrong.

“Aah, aah! Great instincts as always, Kaneki-kun” the pervert suddenly exclaimed, making his mind short-circuit. And Hide felt his brain slowly reboot.

His first thought was _Kaneki?? WHERE??_

His first _coherent_ thought was _where am I and who is this creep?_

And his first actual and logical observation was that: 1. He was most definitely not at home, 2. The creep was looking right at _him_ when he spoke, and 3. There were tentacles – _Kagune—_ sprouting from his own back.

Add to that the creep saying the name Kaneki and, as the dedicated sci-fi otaku that he is, everything just clicked, and before the guy could say another word, he was off the bed and rushing to the nearest reflective surface he could find, which, thankfully, was the bathroom mirror that’s just down the hall from the room he was in, and he had enough presence of mind to lock the door.

 _Ok… ok Hide, calm down. This is only the most unbelievable thing that’s happened to you right now. You can take it._ He took several deep, calming breaths, before slowly turning to the mirror.

His breath caught in his throat.

“Kaneki…” he whispered, staring at the person reflected in the mirror before him in shock and awe.

He knew his best friend had changed. It couldn’t be helped considering everything that’s been going on, but he didn’t quite imagine just how much.

Pure white hair, coarse and tangled through his fingers, the dark shadows beneath his eyes standing out far too much in the paleness of his cheeks. It was as if all colour had drained away from his being, and the thought of his best friend undergoing such a tragic transformation sent a painful pang through Hide’s heart.

 _What happened to you?_ He couldn’t help but think, tracing a finger under the kakugan glaring at him through the glass, the first and most prominent indicator of everything that’s changed.

A knock sounded on the door, and Hide pulled himself together, retracting the kakugan and taking another deep breath. _Right… okay… body-switch happening. Which means this is Kaneki’s place. Huh… not bad._ He shook his head. _Focus dude!! Okay. So, apparently he doesn’t live alone –that’s great. But how to deal with this situation?_

 _Wait a minute, if I’m in his body right now, then Kaneki should be in my body and…_ Well crap. Did he even make it home last night? Holy— had he even left the CCG office??? It wouldn’t be the first time he camped there but— crap!!

 _Ok. Ok. Ok, don’t panic dude. You can find him. Ok._ He took another deep breath, making sure to hide all traces of his panic, before opening the bathroom door, a smile forming on his face when he was met with a pair of curious brown eyes peering up at him.

“Onii-chan… are you okay? You just rushed out…” she asked, worried, and Hide felt his shoulders relax a bit at the sight.

 _He still has people who cares about him._ “No, I’m fine… I just saw something bad as soon as I woke up” he decided to say as an explanation, looking up to find Mr. Pervert ( _is this guy the one in the reports? The rumoured Gourmet? Who most likely wants to eat Kaneki?)_ looking scandalized just behind the girl.

“ _Mon deau,_ Kaneki-kun, so mean this morning. I was just checking up on you as Little Hinami here requested!” he explained, his tone overly dramatic.

Hide sweatdropped, but at least he got a name. “Sorry to worry you, Hinami-chan” he stated in the way Kaneki always says to him, and she smiled at him, sweet and genuine, making Hide’s heart flutter a bit.

He pouts inwardly, cursing his best friend for not even bothering to introduce him to such an adorable girl.

“Ah, Kaneki-san, I see you’re up!” a gruff voice calls out, and Hide looked up just as a thuggish looking guy walked out into the hall. He resisted the urge to gape, but couldn’t quite stop staring between the three personalities. _This… is such a weird combination of people I can’t… seriously Kaneki?_ “Word just got in. We found that ghoul you were looking for” he suddenly stated.

Hide tensed. _Eyepatch…_ he recalled, his best friend’s new alias, a ghoul vigilante amongst other things. _Acting all cool and getting yourself in trouble…_ he frowned, his stomach roiling in his not-quite forgotten hunger. _This too… he’s not eating is he?_

Suddenly, he realized that, for the first time since the guy disappeared, he was being granted first-hand information on his best-friend. And there was no way he’s gonna pass up the opportunity to learn more. “Tell me” he told the man, his eyes steeling over.

-

Banjou, he soon found out, was absolutely nothing like he looks, and the disparity almost made him burst out laughing. It really didn’t help that his three subordinates were very amusing characters themselves, and he was infinitely relieved that Kaneki _hadn’t_ surrounded himself with depressing people after all.

You know, if it wasn’t for the fact that Kaneki _is_ the depressing one in their ragtag group.

 _So, apparently Kaneki is going around acting all tough and cool and gaining infamy among the lower class ghouls, is hunting down Kanou and any information on Rize-san while trying to oppose the Aogiri tree, and he’s also cannibalizing. Great._ Hide pouted after ‘dealing’ with the reported ghoul just earlier –which basically just involved him pinning the guy down ( _Ken’s got buff. It’s kinda depressing)_ while the Gourmet (Tsukiyama, he soon came to realize. As in _the_ Tsukiyama corporation. He shivered) asked the important questions in his place.

His stomach roiled again, almost making him collapse on the sidewalk (thank God he sent the others back already) and he cursed as is vision started to haze over, drool starting to drip from his mouth. He remembers that time in Anteiku, after Nishio’s attack. Kaneki had been so scared then of losing his humanity, so against eating human flesh, and it seems he still was even now. Hide sighed, wiping his mouth on his sleeve. _Always the martyr, this guy._

It was something that had always pained and awed Hide about his best friend –Kaneki’s ability to endure pain for the sake of others, always shouldering everything on his own. But no matter how he tried to act as if he doesn’t notice, if just for his best friend’s sake, Hide still doesn’t approve.

He never wants for Kaneki to hurt. Ever. Even if all he can do is find subtle ways to help him somehow, reassure him that he’s not alone, that not everything is his responsibility, that it's okay to take a break once in a while.

He was only slightly disappointed to find that no one in Kaneki’s new little gang had that ability, or that conviction. Hinami is too sweet, Tsukiyama too suspicious, Banjou too soft, the triplets too distant.

In the end Hide absolutely hates being away from Kaneki, as the guy tends to do stupid things without him, and even now he just wants to rush over and help his best friend as best he can.

So when he comes across a dead body having been left behind by a couple of ghouls not too long ago (and if he caught it right, it seemed to be because they were scared of _him)_ , he didn’t hesitate to eat it. _What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him, right?_ He thinks. He doesn’t know when they’ll switch back, but if it’s soon, then if he could at least alleviate some of his best friend’s suffering… _One dead body should be enough to last a month._

Besides, he really can’t go see him when he could practically see himself eating the first human being he sees (which, ya know, could very well be his own body. And ain’t that a disturbing thought?)

-

Finally making it to his apartment, Hide stopped by his door, feeling his throat clog and his hands clam up as he raised one to knock. _Is he home? Did I go home? Pleeease at least tell me I got home._

He knocked, the sound eerily loud in the hustle-and-bustle of the City Life… or maybe that was just his heartbeat ringing in his ears.

He didn’t know whether to feel terrified or relieved when he heard scrambling from the other side before the door slammed open and he was met with his own slightly-haggard face, his caramel eyes blown wide and panicked.

“Hi—“ his mouth –his body’s mouth— opened, his voice choked and almost desperate despite the lack of coherent words, and the entire visual was so unlike him and so like Kaneki that he _had_ to laugh.

“Oh my God Kaneki, you look like you’ve seen a ghost!” he chuckled, his hands crossing over his stomach, and he didn’t even bother to pay attention to how strange his own laughter sounded in his best friend’s soft, fragile voice.

"...But I guess you did" he said once his laughter died down, clapping his friend on the shoulder and ignoring the way the guy flinched from his touch. He sighed. "No offense dude, but you look like shit"

"..." Kaneki remained silent, looking far too disturbing in Hide's body, who usually can't sit still for even the shortest of moments. 

And Hide can't exactly blame him, either. Of all the scenarios he'd imagined his and his best friend’s reunion to be, seeing his best friend’s expressions on his own face was most definitely _not_ one of them. “Can I come in?” he asked, finally, eyeing the way his best friend stared at him, the way his shoulders tensed, the way his hand trembled over the brass doorknob, grip just a bit too tight..

Kaneki looked down, hunching into himself and seeming to grow so much smaller despite Hide’s body’s two inches on him. “I-It’s your apartment…” he stated, moving out of the aside.

Hide stared at him, taking note of how the guy wouldn’t meet his eyes, before walking into his own home like a mere visitor. “Sorry to intrude~” he sang, knowing how weird he must look with his large grin on Kaneki’s face, and he hopped straight over to plop on his couch, turning around just enough to watch his blond self follow after him.

Kaneki sat down on the armchair next to him, eyes glazing over as they trailed towards the general direction of Hide’s room, and Hide followed his gaze to find his door ajar.

 _Ah._ He sighed. “You didn’t seriously think you could just disappear on me without knowing I’d try to hunt you down did you?” he began, watching his body freeze. “Cause I swear, that’s just dumb Kaneki. I thought you knew me better than that.” He sighed again, pushing up off the couch so he can face his best friend properly.

He smiled. “Well, I’m at least glad you’ve got some good people around you, that’s for sure” he grinned. “Hinami-chan was _such_ a darling I can understand why you’d want to keep her to yourself. Banjou-san too. But seriously though, Tsukiyama?” he raised a brow.

Finally, Kaneki turned to him, the slight pout on his lips looking just like Hide's would that he almost burst out laughing agin if his voice didn't cut him off. “Hide… you…” Kaneki began, Hide's usually boisterous voice sounding so strange with such a melancholic tone. “Why are you putting yourself in da-nger?” he asked, his voice cracking. “You shouldn’t… you can’t…”

“Why are you?” Hide shot back, his own form of seriousness sounding much harsher in Kaneki’s voice than he expected, and he scratched his cheek, grinning his apology before his face grew serious.

“I-I’m not.. Hide I—“

Hide smiled, feeling the slight twinge in his eye as his kakugan activated, effectively cutting his best friend off. “I knew” he stated softly, stretching his arms above his head. “You’re my best friend, Kaneki. Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?”

For a moment, everything was silent, and Hide had to sigh again –he’s been doing that a lot today. “But maaan” he drawled out, slumping on his cushions. “Really dude, you got ripped, I’m almost jealous” he stated, poking at his defined abs in mock-dismay. “I’ve been trying to get one of these forever you know!”

“…”

“And the skills. Do all ghouls feel this light? I accidentally leaped an entire three floors on my way here earlier ya know! Gave me a heart-attack! You could be an acrobat for a side job!! And to think you used to always be in last place during Phys Ed!!”

“……..”

“But I feel your pain dude. Nishio-senpai was right before, Taiyaki does taste like horse-shit. …not that I’ve ever tasted horse-shit before but, I mean, I think they might just be that nasty. I get why you all love coffee now too. Oh the sad sad fate…” he shook his head... and blinked, suddenly shooting out of his seat, and Kaneki turned to him in surprise. 

He rummaged through his fridge,his tongue sticking out of his lip as he searched annnd. “YES!!” he cheered once his hand closed up on a familiar brown package.

“H-Hide…?” he heard a so-not-meek-but-it-sure-sounds-like-it voice ask from behind him. He ignored it for a few moments in favour of dumping the bag’s contents of one of his clean plates before sticking it into the microwave.

“Are you hungry?” he asked, grinning at his best friend, who visibly paled. He rolled his eyes. “Yeah dude, I don’t mean you. I meant me. So am I hungry?” he asked instead, crossing his arms over Kaneki’s buff chest and beginning to hum as he waited for his microwave to ping.

Kaneki seemed to pale at this question though, Hide’s body’s stomach suddenly growling rather loudly, and his cheeks flushed in that endearing way Hide dearly _dearly_ missed. It pretty much broke his heart, understanding how Kaneki’s been enduring stomach-twisting hunger for so very long that he doesn’t even recognize regular hunger anymore.

The microwave _ping_ ed, and Hide wasted no time in placing the steaming plate before his blond self. “This was leftover from last night’s dinner. Eat it” he huffed, smirking the moment he saw Kaneki’s eyes lock onto the food, growing so wide they looked like they were about to pop out of their sockets in shock.

He was so so glad he accidentally went to Big Girl last night. And accidentally ordered their usual, _both_ their usual.

And he wasn’t even gonna comment when tears suddenly started flowing from his body’s eyes in a way he was sure he’d never really done (cause, well, Hide doesn’t _cry._ He _bawls.)._

He smiled. “I’m not gonna say anything sappy like ‘Welcome Back’, or ‘Let’s go Home’ this time Kaneki. But I will say this. You’re my best friend –my _bestest-best friend—_ get it? _In the entire universe._ And you turning into a ghoul or cannibalizing or associating with creepy perverts isn’t gonna change that” he states, walking over to his best friend and placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, as he always does. “I’m here for you Kaneki. I always will be”

And almost as if a ray of sunlight finally peeked through the darkened clouds of Kaneki, his best friend cracked a smile. “I thought you said you weren't gonna say anything sappy?”

Hide grinned back, but it lasted all too short as Kaneki’s eyes locked onto his fingers, discoloured flesh and blackened nails, completely unnatural, and Hide simply grabbed his other shoulder, shaking him once, then twice, before locking eyes. “Dude, I swear it. If you wanna trade places and stay as a human in my body, I won’t mind. I’d find whatever caused this and make it permanent!” he vowed.

“NO!” Kaneki cried, morphing Hide’s face into such a look of terror it sent another pang straight to Hide’s heart. “Not you! I can’t— Don’t— I—“ he placed a finger on his lips, effectively shutting him up, and Hide gave him his warmest, most heartfelt smile.

“Eat the burger, Kaneki” he ordered, pushing his best friend back down in front of the table. “It’s ok. I won’t do anything you don’t want. But only if you promise you won’t leave me behind” he stated, his voice taking on a grave tone that was typical of Kaneki’s voice. “Besides” he continued, his tone going back to a complete mismatch of his best friend’s. “Even if you do, I know where you live. And I know your housemates. I swear I can make a pretty good stalker” he grinned mischievously.

He watched as Kaneki pursed his lips, eyes not wavering from Hide’s own stare, still holding that grave light within them, and then they softened, turning to the burger meal he loved so much. He sighed. “Alright… but only if you promise to stay safe” he states, his tone completely steeled.

Hide grinned again, his typical 1000 watts as he said. “I promise! But only if you promise to protect me too. Ya know, with these abs and pecs and all and all” he states, striking a muscle-y pose that he was sure looked ridiculous.

But hey, it made Kaneki laugh and Hide thought he did a pretty good job.

Kaneki shook his head in exasperation, his face filled with mirth that made Hide’s features light up (and Hide seriously wished he was back on his own body right now just so he could see that look on Kaneki’s), his shoulders shaking from his soft chuckles before picking up the fork and knife Hide laid out earlier, and cutting a piece of his favorite meal.

“Itadakimasu”

 

 


End file.
